I quite enjoyed There There when I read it several years ago. I thought it to be an interesting and carefully crafted story. This continues with the Wandering Stars, which follows some of the ancestors of the characters in There There to present day. I still think that it's well crafted and written, but I didn't enjoy it quite as much as There There. I wanted to absolutely love it, but while I was able to appreciate the work and effort that went into it didn't touch me emotionally as much as the first one. I think that most readers that love other works by Orange will also love this. It just didn't quite evoke the same feelings for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me an eARC of this novel, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was a challenge to get through for me. I wasn’t inclined to pick it up and would put off reading. However, I think this is a me thing. I read There There and found it okay. I just don’t think this author is for me. I can see why people love this book and Tommy Orange’s writing because it is beautiful.

The jump between characters and timelines was a bit confusing for me. I don't think we were able to spend enough time with each character to fully connect with them. All of this being said, I’m sure I am one of the few people who didn’t love this.

(3.75 strs)This is my first time reading Tommy Orange's work. Wandering Stars shares a complex and hauntingly beautiful telling of the children forced to attend Carlisle boarding schools and how their trauma impacted their families and communities for generations to come. While thought-provoking and poignant, the writing can be challenging to understand as it reads as a stream of consciousness. Overall, I enjoyed Wandering Stars.

I received this book as an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the author and publisher for this opportunity.

Just WoW! What an amazing author…loved how creative and thoughtfully written this story is.

I didn’t know this is a follow up/sequel to Tommy Orange’s book There There when I requested to review the book before its publication date via Netgalley. I am very much looking forward to borrowing There There from my library.


WanderingStars
#NetGalley
#goodreads

Tommy Orange is such a distinctive writer, with so much to say. Wandering Stars is, like his first book, There There, a powerful story of the generational tribulations and trauma of Native American people. I loved how this book was structured, telling the stories of each generation of one family. The last section told the story of the present-day generation, and delved into gun violence and the opioid crisis, and was beautiful and terrible at the same time. It's definitely not a light or easy read, but I think Wandering Stars is another important book from a treasure of an author.

This book is heavy both in content and writing. Unfortunately, I was only able to make it through 29% before I DNFed. I don’t think this book is bad, and the idea behind it is a good story to tell, it just was not for me, unfortunately.

There is no doubt that Tommy Orange is a great writer and there will be people out there who love this book, it’s just not up my alley.

"If they survived, made lives and families and homes, it was because of this and only this: Such Indian children were made to carry more than they were made to carry."

Surviving genocide is an interesting way to game the system, but as one of the characters points out in this book: "To endure or pass through endurance test after endurance test only ever gave you endurance test passing abilities." Which is to say that for years Native people have been in survival mode only. This book is Tommy Orange's continuation of There There. It continues the story of Orvil Red Feather and his family, and how they survive again. The story begins with the survival story of Orvil's ancestors, who escape the Sand Creek Massacre, only to see their children sent to boarding schools, who see their children taken by childless white people, who see their children become addicted to heroin, who see their children survive a mass shooting. By the time Orvil and his brothers are the latest generation, they are dealing with years and years of generational trauma, to say nothing of how they must learn to process the world. Similarly to There There, this book is not easy to read, but I saw so much of the lives of my family and friends reflected in these stories.

The act of surviving is not easy, but eventually it means that writers can write a story for their fellow survivals to read and take comfort in, especially in these days as we are witnessing the attempted genocide of the Palestinians.

An ambitious literary work that gives a new take on a multigenerational story.

Told across a range of different time periods, settings, and perspectives, "Wandering Stars" begins with the story of Jude Star after he survives the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and carries through to 2018 Oakland, California - where Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield is doing her best to just keep her head above water, unaware that her nephew has discovered a new fascination with school shootings and death after barely surviving one himself. In between these timelines, we're also introduced to the different family members and storylines that link these individuals together - including Bear Shields and his daughter Opal, Charles Star, Jacquie, and more.

There's a lot that this novel speaks to, covering the tragic and inhumane treatment of Native Americans and the forced "assimilation" of children in boarding schools; the longstanding presence of alcohol and drug addiction; grief and loss; identity and sexuality; and the ways that generational trauma persists over time. Tommy Orange has crafted a number of distinct characters and their voices, and manages to hone in on each of their experiences and individual struggles with ease. The diversity and range of his writing style is evident in this novel, especially given all the separate characters in "Wandering Stars". This, however, also is a weakness of the novel and my main difficulty with getting through it. There are just so many storylines and individuals to keep track of, especially as the time periods and perspectives are not written in a linear way. It also makes it difficult to really get to know and develop a connection with any character(s) either, given the limited time and background we get on each of them.

my first read of 2024 & @netgalley review! ✨

WANDERING STARS is Tommy Orange’s second novel in his There, There series. There, There followed characters through the days leading up to The Big Oakland Powwow. WANDERING STARS picks up where some of the characters left off and explores the aftermath of intergenerational trauma and gun violence-related trauma.

I noted in my review for There, There that I loved Orange’s historical into pages for each chapter. He has a crisp and clear way of communicating historical fact to everyday readers. I was so glad to see that the first two-thirds of this book followed two generations of a family through indigenous historical events: the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and the formation of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. Following this family over the generations through forced assimilation in many forms was tragically beautiful. The resilience in the characters that Orange built was superb, and his ability to relate history in a meaningful way was *chef’s kiss*.

The last third of the book follows Orvil and his immediate family through the aftermath of The Big Oakland Powwow. Mirroring the trauma of old with the trauma of new, Orvil finds himself addicted to pain medication after his injury. For the rest of the book, we see the impact of this contemporary epidemic on Orvil, his immediate family members, and his community.

A reflection on the cycle of intergenerational trauma, WANDERING STARS was a sophomore novel that, I believe, is superior to its predecessor. Orange matured in his writing style, and the sophistication was palpable. His ability to capture bone-deep trauma in prose is breathtaking.

My one critique would be Orvil’s share of the novel; I felt that it didn’t pack as much of a hard punch as the ancestral chapters. I assume that it might be a set-up for the third novel in this series, so maybe I’m just stuck on a cliffhanger for the foreseeable future. I can assure you that will be waiting for more from Tommy Orange most impatiently.

Thank you to @aaknopf and @netgalley for the early e-copy of this gem! WANDERING STARS will be out 2/27 🤗

I loved There There. It’s one of my all time favorite books. I struggled with Wandering Stars. The writing is good but I felt so lost with all of the characters. Each story was so sad.

Wandering Stars is story about Native American Indians. This is a multi-generational novel about the Shield and Star families. Wisely, there is a family tree at the beginning of the book which was a valuable resource. Each character is developed very well, and the reader is able to understand the complexity of each personality. The trials of life for each generation is insightful. Such as, “the sun to bring with it blue men come to kill and scatter us again, thin us out across the land like the buffalo, chase and starve and round us up…” The reader is introduced to the wars where the Indians fought to maintain their culture, livelihood and land. The author’s approach to the of characters cultural assimilation into the white man’s world and the impact on each family was outstanding.

Factual people, places, and events were brought up throughout the book, such as Richard Henry Pratt and Sand Creek Massacre. If you liked Tommy Orange’s book, “There There,” you will like this book. It is very informative and interesting.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Thanks to the publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, and the author for the privilege to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book will definitely be in my top reads for 2024! A gorgeously written book about identity, belonging, and family told through a multigenerational POVs. Challenging to read at times (because wow, it is heavy what happens and what has been done throughout history) Add it to your list. You will greatly enjoy this follow up to There, There.

Wandering Stars has both beautiful and heartbreaking circulatory to its story. The majority of the book takes place in modern times, focused on three boys, their great-aunt whom they view as their grandmother, and their actual grandmother. But the story starts with their great-grandfather, who was a survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre, but a victim of addiction and the desires of white men. Jude disappears on his family when he takes action against white men trying to stop a traditional ceremony. Through the generations, multiple family members battle the discriminations and addictions of their age, be it alcohol, laudanum, or painkillers. For modern-day Orvil, it's painkillers after being a victim of a mass shooting. He slides further into addiction but also connects on a deeper level to the music he loves, not unlike the use of peyote during his great-grandfather Jude’s time for ceremonies. His younger brother Lony is a true old soul and one of the most beautiful characters in the story. I loved his desire to connect with his Cheyenne heritage while worrying about him being “out” of time. Holding the young men of the current time together is Opal, who not only has Orvil and Lony to worry about but also her own cancer diagnosis, and her sister who is recovering from her own battle with addiction. After so many generations before them fought losing battles against white men and addiction, I was desperately hoping for a happier ending for Opal, Orvil, and Lony. There is a lot of sadness in this story, but it is told in a beautiful and thought-provoking way. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5*
Tommy Orange has a very poetic style of prose which makes for beautiful writing. The story starts with Jude Star at the Sandy Creek Massacre of 1824 and moves on to follow Charles Star and his time in the Carlisle Indian school. I really liked this first third of the novel which educated me on key historical Native American events.

The story then shifts to Orvil Red Feather from Orange’s acclaimed first novel, There There, and the aftermath of the mass shooting at the powwow. The transition felt like two different novels, but I understand his aim at showing how prior generational trauma continues to influence the modern Native American experience. This novel was a little slower than There There but delved more into the characters of Opal, Orvil, and his brothers, which I appreciated.

Overall, this was beautifully written, heartbreaking, informative, and was a satisfying sequel to There There.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for an advanced copy.

Set in two time frames and places, Colorado in 1864 and Oakland, California in 2018, this story explores the way Native Americans were treated and the effect it had on the generations that followed.

This begins, more or less, with 1864’s Sand Creek Massacre when Star is brought to the Fort Marion Prison Castle, and made to learn to speak English, as well as being forced to become a Christian and leave his culture, forget his history, and his life before. Later on, his son is made to endure the same treatment by the same man who tortured his father. His only relief comes from another young student, Opal Viola, who has dreams of a future where they will be able to live a life free from this hell.

2018, set in Oakland, California, Opal is struggling to keep her family from falling apart following a shooting that shook their family, almost losing her nephew, Orvil. He awakes in the hospital, and soon becomes obsessed, following the news of other school shootings. As his emotional trauma eats away at him, he is given more prescriptions, and soon needs them to get through the hours of the day.

This is a relatively dark story overall, although it is beautifully written, it is at times gutting to read, and it does leave quite an impact. As a multi-generational story, it covers so many important topics that are still relevant today. A story that feels true in its depiction of the impact of the horrific ways in which ‘others’ are treated.



Pub Date: 27 Feb 2024


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knopf

reallhy good book. i feel like i might have gotten even more out of it had i read his previous book, but this one was still spectacular. thanks for the arc.

I didn’t realize that I should have read There There first. This book continues the stories shown in the first book. However I still enjoyed this story! Tommy Orange has a way with words and had my heart and throat in his hands. I will definitely be picking up the other story now.

I had mixed thoughts about There, There. So I was curious to see what Tommy Orange would do for his sophomore effort. Again, I’m of a mixed mind. The story is beautifully written. And there were multiple phrases that made me stop and think. I was highlighting massive sections of the book. But it feels like a scattergun approach, snippets of stories rather than a rock solid plot. The problem is I tend to like more cohesion, more plot development. Beginning in 1864 with the Sand Creek Massacre, it follows generations until it reaches Orvil Red Feather, from There, There. But it’s not necessary to have read There, There. Things do become more cohesive in the second half, as the book concentrates on the most recent three generations of the family.
It’s a story of various addictions, shootings, tribulations, religions. Each generation suffers from the sins of the past. We hear from multiple characters, including General Pratt who ran the prison and founded The Carlisle Indian School. It’s about finding one’s identity. And I can’t fault the character development. Orange gives us an in depth look of Opal, Orvil and Lony. But so much of the book concentrated on getting high which I just struggled with. I would say if you liked There, There, you will like this book. If you weren’t a big fan of it, steer clear of this one.
My thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for an advance copy of this book.

This book explores one Native family's family tree from the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School through to a shooting (and its aftermath) of one of the main characters now in modern day Oakland. This book picks up where There There left off, but I don't think you would need to read that one before understanding this one. The first half of the book--the chapters dealing with massacre and the school--felt a bit more removed to me. I found myself having to flip back to the family tree often because of all the differing points of view. And, I almost wish Orange had done two separate books as the two parts were a bit disjointed. But maybe that was the point, because so much of indigenous history is disjointed and disrupted.

Things really picked up for me in the second half after Orvil wakes up in the hospital having been shot at a powwow. The tales of the brothers and Orvil's friend Sean that follow truly hit so many emotions (saddening, exhausting, frustrating, tragic and painful) but there is also joy and humor and love between the family. I do think one of the brother's story, Loother's, could have been a bit more developed. As the middle child, he seemed to get lost in the middle. Orvil's story definitely gets the most room to breathe, but it was Lony's story that really was heartbreaking to me. Something about that final chapter really pulled at every heartstring. It is what took this book from 3.5 to 4 stars.

"Hearing is holy and if you have the chance to not have to carry something alone, with people you love, it should be honored, the opportunity, it should be honored, and you all got selfish about it, you all got scared it was gonna be bigger than our love and then it was."

"I knew the way you talked about me. A dreamer. I get it. Everyone thinks kids don't get what a world is, what this world is. But we feel it all. We want nothing more than to make-believe belief can be enough, and when we realize it isn't, when you make kids believe belief isn't enough, we take it all in under hooded eyes."

Content warnings: addiction and overdose, assault, child abuse, forced adoption, loss of culture, shooting of a child, cancer, depression, self-harm

Unfortunately, I couldn't get through this book. While I appreciated the historical and cultural significance, i didn't read Tommy Orange's first book, "There, There", and found it very difficult to mesh with the writing style and had a hard time following the characters and their back stories. It seems like I would have to either adapt to the writing style and/or read the first book to be able to read this book, and this book seems to be marketed as standalone.